Page 25 of Power's Fall

“Home,” she murmured softly, her cheek pressed against Montana’s chest. Vadisk was hung up on the same word because, as of right now, none of them knew where home was, their futures too up in the air.

Vadisk could see the way they were looking at each other when Dahlia lifted her head from Montana’s chest.

Vadisk held his breath as he watched his husband cup Dahlia’s cheeks, staring at her with the same admiration and awe Vadisk felt the first time he’d seen her.

Dahlia slowly rose on tiptoe as Montana lowered his head toward her. They moved slowly, as if offering each other an opportunity to pull back if they wanted.

Vadisk barely blinked as their lips touched, Montana cradling Dahlia’s face gently, as if he were holding something made of delicate glass. Dahlia’s hands found their way to Montana’s waist, her fingers tightening in the soft cotton of his T-shirt.

The kiss lingered, starting slowly, nothing more than an exploration, but that soon changed, evolving into something hotter, hungrier.

One of Montana’s hands slipped around Dahlia’s neck, grasping it as the other drifted along her arm, their wife shivering in response.

Though he was some distance away, Vadisk caught a peek of their tongues touching, and he heard Montana’s low, guttural moan when Dahlia’s hands slipped under his T-shirt, touching skin.

Vadisk was assaulted by two emotions simultaneously.

Arousal.

And hurt.

He should be down there, should be a part of that kiss.

He let himself play it out in his mind. Let himself imagine how he would step behind Dahlia, licking that slender neck before reaching around her body to grip Montana’s shoulders and pull him even closer.

The idea of holding their wife between them, the two of them taking turns kissing her and each other, was a heady one. He imagined how it would feel to stroke, caress, touch his lovers. The three of them exploring, discovering, learning about each other, testing limits, drawing out every single drop of exquisite pleasure they could.

Vadisk reached down and ran a hand over his cock. His hard cock. He swallowed heavily, biting off his own needy moan.

Dahlia and Montana parted for a moment, sharing a sweet smile. Dahlia even breathed out an airy laugh, and then they kissed again. Every bit of reticence was gone now as they pressed their bodies tightly together, her hands in his hair, his in hers, both holding the other to them as if the idea of separating even an inch was untenable.

Vadisk’s brows furrowed as he continued to watch and his heart panged. Once again, he was on the outside of his marriage, alone in the shadows, standing by like a poor beggar.

Montana broke the kiss, pressing his forehead against hers. “We should stop here, Dahlia.”

“You’re right.”

While neither of them said it, he hoped the reason they’d pulled back was his absence, though he couldn’t be sure.

Especially when Montana said, “It’s not safe out here. We should go back inside.”

She nodded. “Thank you,” she murmured to Montana. “Talking about it did help.”

Vadisk watched the two of them walk back into the house, so he did the same, sliding the terrace door closed. He heard the soft sound of their bedroom door close, leaving him on the outside once again.

He returned to his bed, falling back heavily, his cock still hard, throbbing with unfulfilled needs.

Yeah, he thought miserably.

He definitely wasn’t sleeping tonight.

Vadisk stoodat the edge of the overlook as Dahlia spoke to the video camera Montana was directing her way. They’d spent the past hour walking along the Golitsyn Path. Dahlia had an entire script and stopped to consult it each time they hit a new point of interest, making sure she remembered everything about it, before asking Montana to hit record.

They’d passed at least a dozen other people—mostly locals and Russian tourists—enjoying the sunny day and scenic walk. Every one of them had looked at them with either curiosity or suspicion, and Vadisk’s shoulder muscles were going to cramp after being this tight for so long.

After a shitty night’s sleep, Vadisk had continued to wow his spouses with his grumpy fucking attitude as they ate breakfast in stilted silence before changing into their hiking attire, grabbing Dahlia’s camera equipment, and hiring a driver to take them to the trailhead.

It wasn’t hard to see why Dahlia’s documentary-like travel videos were so popular. She was a natural in front of the camera,had a keen eye for finding true beauty in nature, and she did the work to understand the people and places she visited.